"Mr McBride also told BBC Radio 5 Live the allegations were untrue, saying: "The idea of Gordon instructing us to brief against Alistair Darling is totally wrong. The idea of me briefing against Alistair Darling is totally wrong."

He added: "The Sunday papers were ringing up and asking us if we were angry with the chancellor and the answer was no." "

Could it be that certain newspapers just made it up? Perish the thought!

The fact is this Iain: Gordon Brown is mad. As mad to a normal british citizen as Ahmad Ahmadinejad appears mad to a westerner. Mad people only appear sane within the immediate shade of their own perspective - and/or to those who actively share their dysfunction; to all others, they are stark staring bonkers.

My breath has never been taken away by anything Brown has said or done since coming to governmental prominence. He identified himself as a certifiable nutjob the moment he declared he had abolished boom and bust. Which is a little like claiming to abolish night following day. Or David Icke claiming that the world's political elite are, in fact, alien lizards. Only congenitally mad people claim such fantastical things.

The big trouble is: where are the tories? Cameron's policy-less brinkmanship will at best cost the party the majority we need and at worst, subject this poor benighted land to five more years with L Ron Hubbard at the helm.

There has never, in my adult lifetime, been a larger series of open goals, over a more extended period for an opposition to utterly crucify an incumbent government. Nearly all of them, I might add, missed.

For me, Cameron is not showing the ruthless and fearless streak successful leaders of all colours require. At the 'choke' pre-election moment, he appears cowed by Labour's ability to wield 'Tory Toff' and 'Tory Bastard' black propaganda, cowed by the institutional bias of the BBC and lastly, cowed by Mandelson.

It's not too late but Cam needs to find his principles and his balls - fast - if he's going to carry the floaters, the disenchanted and the wavering outskirts of the LibDems that he needs.

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You Have Been Reading A Not Un-unique Grass Roots Tory View By Someone Who Really Is Under 45 Years Old And Wears Neither Tweed Nor Pearls.